My favorite watchdog website is following the release today (Thursday, March 12) of which children's products test positive for toxic, cancer causing chemicals. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested children's shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions for formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, among other chemicals. Formaldehyde and 1,4 dioxane are two chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer.
The website says we won't find these toxic chemicals on ingredient lists, though we might find marketing claims like "gentle" and "cure" on the suspect products, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of nonprofit health and environmental organizations.
Of 48 products tested, 67% had 1,4-dioxane. Of 28 products tested, 82% had formaldehyde. Click here for a list of products that did not have the chemicals.
Not waiting for the full report, the cosmetics industry attacked the group in a press release, calling the allegations "patently false and a shameful and cynical attempt by an activist group to incite and prey upon parental worries and concerns in order to push a political, legislative and legal agenda." The Personal Care Products Council questioned the scientific integrity of the report, and said that levels of the chemicals found were extremely low, within regulatory limits and safe for use. It defended the use of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing compounds as a safe preservative.
True, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is pushing a political, legislative and legal agenda, and the $250 billion global cosmetics industry has come to show concern about publicity over the group's reports.
The Campaign has previously exposed high levels of phthalates, formaldehyde and toluene in nail polish, leading to the phase-out of the use of those chemicals by several major brands; exposed the presence of lead in many lipsticks (see 11 lead-free lipsticks). The campaign supports both the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database of chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products, and state and federal proposals to regulate the use and disclosure of certain suspect chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products.